Man Dies after Falling Asleep at the Wheel in Lake County

September 16, 2010 - Lake County, IL - An elderly man has died after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing his vehicle into a truck on Tuesday afternoon.

The Chicago Breaking News Center reports that the fatal accident happened at around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Illinois Highway 60 and Fairfield Road. The elderly McHenry man was traveling toward the intersection when he evidently began to fall asleep behind the wheel. His vehicle then collided with a dump truck.

At the time emergency crews arrived on the scene, the man, 86, of the 2300 block of West Fairview Lane, was alive and speaking. He was able to explain to officials that he had fallen asleep before the crash.

The man was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville immediately following the car accident. According to the Lake County Coroner, the man was later pronounced dead in the hospital at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

No further details about the crash are readily available at this time.